How to use videos in your customer education strategy?

Customer education is seen to evolve and upgrade along with the spikes in our technological developments.

It all started in the 1980s with the rise of the internet. Many companies began offering complex products and services. Providing customers with the knowledge and skills to understand complex products became increasingly important.

Then came the SaaS-ification of technology in the early 2000s. B2B SaaS (Business-to-Business Software as a Service) has been around since the 1990s, but With the rise of cloud computing and the availability of high-speed internet connections, customer education made a massive makeover.

With technology simplifying everyday tasks, companies in tech were pressurized to develop better ways to deliver their product.

Moreover, by this time, the SaaS market has become crowded and competitive. This made companies realize that providing a superior customer experience is essential to building customer loyalty and customer retention.

Today, customer education is critical to many SaaS companies' customer journey. Businesses invest significant resources into creating educational content and programs that help their customer base achieve their goals.

Why are videos used in customer education?

Videos have become an increasingly important tool in customer training programs to engage customers and provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions.

Mainly companies started using videos in customer education for several reasons.

First, videos are highly engaging and can capture viewers' attention more effectively than other forms of content.

Second, videos allow companies to demonstrate their products or services in a way that is easy for customers to understand. This can be especially helpful for complex or technical products that may be difficult to explain in writing. This takes the weight off the customer support teams by reducing support tickets.

Third, videos can build customer trust by showcasing the company's expertise and providing valuable information. This helps with customer retention in the long run.

Finally, videos can be easily shared and distributed online, helping your company reach a large audience.

5 ways to use videos in customer education

Hound Studio specializes in 2D and 3D animation and video creation.

They suggest that videos in customer education are more effective in teaching customers how to use your product and unpacking complicated concepts. It helps deep dive with ease into the product with close guidance from your explainer videos.

There are several ways that B2B SaaS companies can use videos in building their customer education strategy.

1. Product demos

Product demos are an important tool for B2B SaaS businesses to educate their customers about their products and drive engagement. These videos highlight the key features and benefits of the product in action. They also provide customers with a clear understanding of how it works and what it can do for them.

Mixpanel, a self-serve product analytics tool, has a webinar on how to use its product and breaks it down into tasks that are mostly created by its customers. This helps to show the product in action. This allows customers to understand the value of the product for their specific use. Consequently, customers can make informed decisions.

Product demos can also introduce new features or updates to existing customers. This gives them a deeper understanding of the product and how it can help them achieve their goals.

2. Instructional videos or product tutorials

Companies can create instructional videos that walk customers through common tasks or workflows using their products. These videos can help customers get up to speed quickly and avoid frustration and confusion.

People often mistake product demos and product instructional videos for each other. However, they are two types of customer education videos with different goals.

Product demos are often used to introduce new products or features to customers and help them understand the product's value proposition. Instructional videos are designed to provide customers with step-by-step guidance. They come up during the customer onboarding process.

This guidance is on how to use a product.

They are typically longer and more in-depth than product demos and focus on specific tasks or workflows. Instructional videos can help customers get up and running with a new product. Forming a knowledge base, they can also help customers troubleshoot common issues. Additionally, instructional videos can help customers learn advanced techniques and best practices for using the product effectively.

3. Customer success stories

Companies can create videos that showcase how their products have helped other businesses achieve their goals. These videos can be a powerful way to build trust and credibility with potential customers and demonstrate the product's value.

An example of a B2B SaaS company using customer success stories for customer education is Salesforce, a cloud-based CRM software provider. Salesforce has a "Customer Stories" page on its website, which features videos, case studies, and success stories from its customers.

These stories showcase how businesses across various industries have used Salesforce's products to solve specific problems and achieve their goals.

For example, one success story features a healthcare provider using Salesforce to streamline patient communication and improve the patient experience. By sharing these stories, Salesforce can provide real-world examples of how their products can help businesses in different industries succeed.

4. Thought-leadership videos

B2B SaaS companies use thought leadership videos to position themselves as industry experts. They also use these videos in customer training to educate their customers about broader industry trends and issues.

These videos can take many forms, including interviews with subject matter experts,  panel discussions, or presentations specific to an industry.

Ahrefs, an all-in-one SEO toolset, is famous for its videos on optimizing for SEO. Over the years, they have established themselves as the thought leaders in the SEO space. Thanks to their Youtube knowledge base of SEO help, they have become a reliable source of SEO advice.

Thought leadership videos can help to establish the company as a thought leader in their industry. They can also build trust with their customers by providing valuable education and insights thereby improving customer retention.

5. In-app videos

B2B SaaS companies can embed short tutorial videos directly into their products to guide users through specific workflows or features. These videos can be accessed on-demand within the product interface, providing users with a seamless and contextual learning experience.

In-app videos can be particularly effective for educating users who prefer to learn by doing. Customer education teams also use this for a self-serve product that needs less human involvement from support.

An effective customer education plan will transform inexperienced buyers into devoted customers who continuously find value in your offering. Constant value is also the secret to increased revenue, quicker product growth, and long-term retention.

Trainn is a video-first customer education tool that addresses your end-to-end customer education needs. The best part is that you can record video tutorials of your product. You can add speech to the video for guidance. And you can even embed it in areas of your product that require more human touch.

Let’s hop on a call to understand how videos can help you with building a customer education stategy.